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New Member

It's a internet marketing strategy. The basic idea of link wheels is to create a pattern of links which flow from one website to another which would finally link to a targeted website requiring promotion. (use google/wiki )

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Member

You have for example 5 web 2.0 sites for your wheel, they orbit around the site you want to promote.
There are 2 links in each site:

1. Squidoo : Links to Wordpress and Site
2. Wordpress : Links to Blogger and Your Site
3. Blogger : Links to Quizilla and Your Site
4. Quizilla : Links to Weebly and Your Site
5. Weebly : Links to Squidoo and Your Site

This is for a simple link wheel, you can also have other web 2.0 sites.
There are other more advanced figures with 4-5 link wheels linked together.

Some marketers say that a link wheel can be spotted by Google and that apparently
the penalty is no PR juice for the wheel.

To prevent this, some people do not close the wheel.
For example #5 will be: Weebly : Links to Your Site

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Member

Andy:
Before you start using a linkwheel, take a look at my reply to amir's question in this thread.

Click to expand...

I understand that this linkwheel method has its drawbacks and that it requires you to be cautious or you could be Sand Boxed. But how do I know my website is in the Google Sand Box? I am not even sure if Sand Box ever exist!

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Active Member

Well, no one actually knows if Sandbox is true. There are only believers and non-believers.

But, in you case - asking on how would you know if your site is sandbox, you may see a sudden drop on your keyword ranks, especially when you suddenly disappear on the SERPs. This are only among the signals of your website (probably) getting sandbox at all.

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Community Leader

Community Leader

Well, no one actually knows if Sandbox is true. There are only believers and non-believers.

But, in you case - asking on how would you know if your site is sandbox, you may see a sudden drop on your keyword ranks, especially when you suddenly disappear on the SERPs. This are only among the signals of your website (probably) getting sandbox at all.

Click to expand...

A "sudden drop on your keyword ranks" could also happen if you stop your SEO marketing efforts, and over a period of time you could disappear from (not on) the SERP's. Some also say that Google's "Sandbox", if it exists, is for newer sites that have no history yet.

I understand that this linkwheel method has its drawbacks and that it requires you to be cautious or you could be Sand Boxed. But how do I know my website is in the Google Sand Box? I am not even sure if Sand Box ever exist!

Click to expand...

,
Too many people worry about when Google updates their Page rank, or being in Google's Sandbox, or some other excuse. They are, in effect, blaming Google for things they should, or should not, be doing. Saying that a link wheel "has it's drawbacks" is putting it mildly. Link wheels, or rings, or other link schemes are a violation of Google's TOS, so they should not be used at all. Links should come from articles, blog entries, press release, and similar informative sources. Use ethical techniques, follow Google's Webmaster Guidelines, and the rankings will come. Trying to "game the system" never works.

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Member

Too many people worry about when Google updates their Page rank, or being in Google's Sandbox, or some other excuse. They are, in effect, blaming Google for things they should, or should not, be doing. Saying that a link wheel "has it's drawbacks" is putting it mildly. Link wheels, or rings, or other link schemes are a violation of Google's TOS, so they should not be used at all. Links should come from articles, blog entries, press release, and similar informative sources. Use ethical techniques, follow Google's Webmaster Guidelines, and the rankings will come. Trying to "game the system" never works.

Click to expand...

I agree to your point. Unethical techniques can fire back some day. Do this technique also violates the TOS by Yahoo and Bing?

Well, no one actually knows if Sandbox is true. There are only believers and non-believers.

But, in you case - asking on how would you know if your site is sandbox, you may see a sudden drop on your keyword ranks, especially when you suddenly disappear on the SERPs. This are only among the signals of your website (probably) getting sandbox at all.

Click to expand...

Well actually Matt Cutts says that there is no such thing as Sandbox although there are a situation where the algorithm do something like the described sandbox effect. So it is partly true and he confirmed the existence of it.

A "sudden drop on your keyword ranks" could also happen if you stop your SEO marketing efforts, and over a period of time you could disappear from (not on) the SERP's. Some also say that Google's "Sandbox", if it exists, is for newer sites that have no history yet.

Too many people worry about when Google updates their Page rank, or being in Google's Sandbox, or some other excuse. They are, in effect, blaming Google for things they should, or should not, be doing. Saying that a link wheel "has it's drawbacks" is putting it mildly. Link wheels, or rings, or other link schemes are a violation of Google's TOS, so they should not be used at all. Links should come from articles, blog entries, press release, and similar informative sources. Use ethical techniques, follow Google's Webmaster Guidelines, and the rankings will come. Trying to "game the system" never works.

Click to expand...

That's why SEOs should do link building and make sure that their links will last for a lifetime. So that even when you're not around you won't worry that the rankings falling. We can't really say that all link wheels are illegal and against Google TOS. Because Google itself has a ring of websites interlinking each other. Partly the illegal thing about link wheels is that most of the websites doing this method isn't even related to each other.

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Community Leader

Community Leader

We can't really say that all link wheels are illegal and against Google TOS.

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Yes we can. According to Google's own Webmaster Guidelines, "However, some webmasters engage in link exchange schemes and build partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. This is in violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines and can negatively impact your site's ranking in search results."

Many companies have divisions that provide a variety of different services, and retailers own different stores. Each of these services linking to the others, or stores linking to the others, is not a "link scheme", and does not violate Google's TOS. However, a "link wheel" consists of sites specifically designed primarily to send links to other sites. That is why they violate Google's TOS.

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Active Member

Yes we can. According to Google's own Webmaster Guidelines, "However, some webmasters engage in link exchange schemes and build partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. This is in violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines and can negatively impact your site's ranking in search results."

Many companies have divisions that provide a variety of different services, and retailers own different stores. Each of these services linking to the others, or stores linking to the others, is not a "link scheme", and does not violate Google's TOS. However, a "link wheel" consists of sites specifically designed primarily to send links to other sites. That is why they violate Google's TOS.

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I don't really think that works that way. Link wheels can be just any link wheel. Like I said, Google really can't say that it is illegal. Google is the first violator of their own TOS. First, they have a lot of apps that we can use. Even their blogs and news also interlinks each other. That still forms a link wheel. There are so many kinds of link wheel that are legal like what Google is doing. We can link to other sites as long as they are related and of relevance with the content itself [support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=66356].

a "link wheel" consists of sites specifically designed primarily to send links to other sites.

Click to expand...

If that's the case then why do people do link building in the first place?

Linkwheels are frowned upon and can get you banned from SEs. By the way, a link wheel is a link strategy that is used to improve PR and rank by interconnecting websites in an "unnatural" way.

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Banned? I haven't heard of any link wheels being banned in my 3 years of SEO. Like I said, if you are doing link wheel in the right way then it is possible that you will gain what you sow. But if you are doing it the wrong way, you can suffer the consequences.

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Community Leader

Community Leader

Many companies have divisions that provide a variety of different services, and retailers own different stores. Each of these services linking to the others, or stores linking to the others, is not a "link scheme", and does not violate Google's TOS. However, a "link wheel" consists of sites specifically designed primarily to send links to other sites. That is why they violate Google's TOS.

I don't really think that works that way. Link wheels can be just any link wheel. Like I said, Google really can't say that it is illegal. Google is the first violator of their own TOS. First, they have a lot of apps that we can use. Even their blogs and news also interlinks each other. That still forms a link wheel. There are so many kinds of link wheel that are legal like what Google is doing. We can link to other sites as long as they are related and of relevance with the content itself [support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=66356].

Click to expand...

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I agree with your last statement, as long as those links are "natural". As far as the rest, you know that that's not what most people mean when they create a "link wheel". You know better than that - please don't insult my intelligence by claiming otherwise. As I said:

According to Google's own Webmaster Guidelines, "However, some webmasters engage in link exchange schemes and build partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. This is in violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines and can negatively impact your site's ranking in search results."

If that's the case then why do people do link building in the first place?

Click to expand...

Even with only three years experience, you should know that linking is the foundation of Google's algorithm. Links can come from blog entries, articles, press releases, and other similar sources. As long as the source of the link provides content that has value to the reader, then it is a legitimate link. I followed the link in your post, and found this: "Links are usually editorial votes given by choice, and the buzzing blogger community can be an excellent place to generate interest."

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Active Member

I agree with your last statement, as long as those links are "natural". As far as the rest, you know that that's not what most people mean when they create a "link wheel". You know better than that - please don't insult my intelligence by claiming otherwise. As I said:

Click to expand...

I don't meant to insult your intelligence, your highness. Although most people do misunderstand and otherwise still do the other link wheel that I'm saying. We can't generalize link wheels as illegal because as far as link building is concern it is already building a wheel itself. First, we can only do this for ourselves (not doing a link wheel), we can't really say that your site don't have any outbound links right? Let's say that site A is linked to your site B and then you linked to another site which is site C and then also linked to site A. Will you know that of course you can't unless you check each and every site that you go to. I don't mean anything to insult. SEO is still a growing industry and is also changing fast. I don't blame people who have different ideas about how to rank.

"Links intended to manipulate PageRank"

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LOL! Every one links and still build links to gain PR and do good at SERPs.

Even with only three years experience, you should know that linking is the foundation of Google's algorithm. Links can come from blog entries, articles, press releases, and other similar sources. As long as the source of the link provides content that has value to the reader, then it is a legitimate link. I followed the link in your post, and found this: "Links are usually editorial votes given by choice, and the buzzing blogger community can be an excellent place to generate interest."

Click to expand...

Links nowadays aren't the only thing Google is looking at for SERPs and PRs. There are a lot of factors that affects a websites rankings. It can be PR, Traffic, number of links, authoritativeness, etc. Google's algo is still a mystery for a lot of SEOs because I can still find websites that has little backlinks while dominating the SERPs in a competitive keyword. Don't get me wrong here, Joeroxx. I'm just trying to clear things out. This is my own based on what I learned and read and experienced.

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Community Leader

Community Leader

We can't generalize link wheels as illegal because as far as link building is concern it is already building a wheel itself. First, we can only do this for ourselves (not doing a link wheel), we can't really say that your site don't have any outbound links right? Let's say that site A is linked to your site B and then you linked to another site which is site C and then also linked to site A.

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I think I now understand the problem - the question is one of intent. When a person engages in link building, they request, or create, links from a variety of sites, none of which, as far as they know, has any connection to any of the others. Therefore, link building is not "building a wheel". Although I suppose there is a possibility, however remote, that one of the sites you link from has a link to one of the other sites you link from, you did not create that link. The possibility of two, or more, of the sites you obtain links from is even more remote if the links to your site are from articles, blog entries, press releases, and similar sources.
However, if websites are deliberately created with the intent to send links to each other, this is where a website owner or admin runs afoul of Google's TOS. Once again, to quote Google's own website: "some webmasters engage in link exchange schemes and build partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. This is in violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines and can negatively impact your site's ranking in search results."

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New Member

In my point of view Link wheel is a strong tool for search engine optimizers before but now it is being ignored by the robots because they discovered that it is being abused, if this is done correctly without leaving any footprints for robots to follow, link wheel will still be a strong and powerful tool to increase your search engine rankings.

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